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Moving Images Assignment: Fixitinpost Wikia 2
I would change the ending to WALL-E. Specifically, I would end the film at the point where WALL-E forgets EVA. From an entertainment point of view, this would crush the film, ruin it completely. It would leave audiences devastated, some even destroyed, and no one would ever trust PIXAR again. It would be a huge black mark on the company, one they might never have recovered from. But from an artistic point of view, this ending would have sent the film through the roof; it would have been brilliant, one of the most powerful endings in the history not just of movies, but of all storytelling. It would have made WALL-E not just a great movie (which it is), but one of the best movies ever made. Think about it: what is WALL-E about, deep down, at its core? It is about the power of love. And what better way to show how powerful love is than to leave the audience devastated despite the entire planet earth and all of humanity being saved, all because two robots don’t get to be together. That is how powerful love is: more powerful than all of nature and humanity combined, and this is true even when the lovers are robots, not humans. I remember watching this film for the first time, in the theater, loving it, laughing and cheering and having a great time. Then WALL-E’s memory goes and it was like a punch in the gut: “oh my God!” my brain screamed out. This is a tragedy, not a comedy; myself and the entire audience were played and were about to pay in the most powerful, painful, and amazing way. I couldn’t believe it, I could barely breathe. Then I started thinking: “There’s no way, this is a kid’s film, there’s no way they can end it like this. The backlash would destroy the company, the whole country would be in an uproar, there’s no way they can end the film this way, despite how powerful it would be.” Sure enough, they didn’t. They ended on a moment where WALL-E remembers EVA, a total cop out that doesn’t jive with the world the filmmakers created at all. But I don’t blame them for doing it; I would have done the same thing. But I would also know, in the back of my mind, that I would not be making most powerful version of the story I could. It would be difficult and very upsetting to do this. I walked out of the theater disappointed despite WALL-E being an amazing film. When one of my friends asked me why, I told her. She said she was glad the film didn’t end that way, as she would have been devastated, and bawling tears. I responded by saying that is testament to how powerful that ending would have been. She agreed. I can’t think of a single other instance where the most powerful version of a story isn’t the best version of the story. WALL-E is the only one I can think of. Category:Film